A. Field of Invention
This invention generally relates to light weight steel belted tires and related systems and methods.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that tire mass affects fuel efficiency as well as other operating characteristics of a vehicle. Furthermore, tire mass becomes more important as the size of the tires increase. For instance, tractor trailer tires can impact fuel efficiency more than that of a passenger car. Accordingly it is especially beneficial to use light weight tires for such vehicles. A number of attempts have been made to reduce the mass of such tires. For instance, some prior attempts include using non-steel reinforcing materials, such as aramids or fiberglass. However, such tires lack many of the benefits imparted by steel belts. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a tire that is light weight and made from steel belts.
The present invention provides alternatives to state of the art tires including light weight steel belted tires.